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Description

For years, the minions of the Maharaji guarded Ivory Rock from the prying interests of passing climbers. This huge unclimbed horseshoe buttress is visible from the road as you travel to Frog. For us it was always the beacon for Mt Flinders. Passed jokingly around the campfire, generations of 'Queensland' climbers have heard stories of secret cults guarding this cool formation. I remember years previously stopping at the "conference" centre to be turned away by security and being told to go to Mt Flinders further up the road if I wanted to climb something; in retrospect I should have listened to them then! In the last year we've been chased down and photographed, abruptly refused entry, and outright ignored by thousands of the Premies cultists when we questioned them about their gatherings. Visit ex-premie.org for the full story of this shady organisation. Anyway, just don't try to talk to them, they get very upset.

Mt Flinders' actual climbing history began very late, it wasn't until 2000 that '80s guru Kim Carrigan started developing a buttress on the summit ridge. Kim established six steep, sport climbs graded from 21 to 26 and a potential grade 29 project. Now, when we say steep we mean 'Queensland' steep; the wall is about forty metres high, ten degrees overhung and is north-east facing, so gets mid-arvo shade. After these routes were revealed in the pages of Rock, more climbers started checking Flinders out and in early 2001 Ross Ferguson started developing another wall on the opposite side of the ridge. Ross established six or so mixed routes of moderate grades, but on one occasion returned to find access to the mountain closed. The access gate locked and signs of indefinite closure due to remote area access surveys. What? So Ross did the final trek in for his gear and decided, disheartened, not to return. The reason for the closure, we believe, was due to an erosion hole forming in the main walking track about two-feet round. The new trail now bypasses this hole which, amazingly, is an erosion point into the back end of our recent major discovery, 'The Secret Cave'.

During Mt Flinders' closure, climbing was mostly forgotten. Then early this year Glen Foley called me to say he'd done a recon up to Kim's wall and had spied some new lines and would I be interested. He also told me about a rumoured cave some friends of his had stumbled upon five years earlier. We went there for Kim's wall, but when we found the cave all else was forgotten. 'The Secret Cave' is sixty metres high, but from twenty to fifty metres overhanging with the main wall being about twenty metres height at 60°- 80°. We had found the steepest terrain in QLD, or I should say rediscovered. We found a line of old 8mm hardware down the right wall of the cave that belonged to Frey Yule. We think he checked out the cave about five years previously but then moved interstate. The cave is SSW facing, so no sun all year round and only a 40min drive from 'Brisbane'. Unfortunately, there is also the 2.5km, 40min uphill walk in as well. The rock is solid volcanic trachyte with formations uncommon in Queensland; it's a mixture of fused blocks, huecos, crystallised slopers and hard crimps - the holds can be quite sharp. Some of the easier routes like 'The Nightmare of Milky Joe' (23) and 'Never Ask the Moon' (22) are super-fun cut-loose jug fests.

Early in the piece, Glen established 'Wet Jigsaw Puzzle' (25) a short pump fest that climbs out of the steepest part of the wall. To add to this he climbed 'King of the Mods' (29), adding to only a handful of 29s in 'Queensland'. Then the numbers rolled, I freed my project after my food was spiked 'Like a Man on Pepperoni' (28), possibly the steepest climb in 'Queensland'. That was until Glen equipped his, an 80° blank arête project, 'A Space Odyssey' 25m ? (all we know is its significantly harder than King of the Mods). At the time of writing this article, all the moves go; Glen is just contemplating the need to clip in on the crux low on the climb.

'The Secret Cave' consists of two developed areas: the steep main wall and a right hand wall which, although not as steep as the main wall, offers some challenging climbing. 'Terminus of Desire' (25) climbs from under the large undeveloped overhang. This route will be used to access the steeper upper wall which has the potential for a couple of super hard routes. With all this new development Ross returned to develop what he hoped would be a nice easy sub-20 warm up. He ended up establishing 'Finger Tips and Mountain Tops' (23), an intricate crimp-fest climbing above the lip of this right-hand buttress. Ross then established 'Song and Dance Man' (27) a steep juggy start into a hard crimper sequence. Glen the power monkey campused his way to glory on Backstroke of the West (26) while another buddy of ours Antoine Moussette battled scorpion-eating spiders on 'The French Connection' (27).

There is still so much more to do. Hard unclimbed projects, the undeveloped upper wall and the central cave section as well as some creative batman starts. 'The Secret Cave' has proved to be a valuable asset to 'Queensland' climbing, not only in the unique steep terrain, but also in the addition of ever increasing harder sport climbs in 'Queensland'.

Getaway Stats

When to go: All day, any day. Providing you can handle the heat on the walk-in.

Approach

Drive:
From Brisbane head out on the Centenary Highway, turn south at Ripley Rd. After about 10km this turns into Undulla Rd. After a further 7km turn right onto Mount Elliott Rd. On Mount Elliot Rd you eventually come to 2 sets of gates. Go through the gate and close them behind you. At the second set of gates, the right one is clearly someone's house, take the left gate. Drive to the end (bumpy dirt road) and park somewhere without blocking the final locked gate or the road.

Walk in:
Follow the fire trail for 5 mins, to an intersection with a yellow SFT marker. Turn left (uphill). Soon you arrive at another yellow SFT marker. Go left again onto the faint trail. Follow through the trees to a clearing and Head left immediately. You should be able to follow this now well developed trail all the way to the crag without much trouble. At the small gear cave, scramble up the rock just left where the log leans against the wall.

Ok the walls getting steeper and this was the first test piece established on the crag. Have a good rest at 3rd and head straight into the first crux, solved with some fancy beta. Take care clipping the 5th, shake out and then punch through the final roof to the anchor.

This second climb established at the cliff is a demanding steep route, start from the little cave. Avoid doing a double heel hook no hands rest at the 3rd and you'll walk away without ruptured abbs like visiting Brit Ben Heason!

Climb the funky pumpy first 6 draws of Stolen Generation up to the blunt arete. (long draw for the win) Then bust left into the top 2 fixed draws of Wet Jigsaw puzzle and freestyle to the anchors to finish the puzzle.

Awesomely popular kneebar fest, starting to become a bit of a crag classic! Usually always draws on it, but take a long draw for the 6th bolt if not. Then commit to the second half and enjoy the air below you. 2nd pitch is not completely established.

20m (27) - 9 bolts

17m (-) 'Open Project' above the anchor. All the way to the lip of the cave.

The extension to Entergalactic Ceiling. Continues from the chains across the cave to finish on the anchors of Saxicoline. Long and pumpy. Definitely harder than "Entergalactic Ceiling" but probably not by a full grade. Adds a whole lot more fun climbing to an already awesome route.

Climb Entergalactic Ceiling then bust under past the fridge block of doom and head up the runnel. The link from the first bolt to the second of the extension is bold. A fun super pump lactic fest.

To reduce drag perform some trickery at the start of EC; clipping the next, then unclipping the last for bolts 2,3 and 4. Then when safe, the belayer or a friend can unclip the first bolt from the ground. A long sling with a revolver biner on the last bolt of EC helps with drag also. Avoid the temptation of clipping EC's anchor.

Starts up the back of the cave, 5m right of 'Short Sighted'. Take care to 4th, then super steep inverted madness for 2 bolts. Bust along the hanging wall traverse to a rest, then escape the rooflet and power up the headwall to the anchor.

Climb the fun first 3/4 of "the boob" and then traverse merrily left on more unlikely pockets. A tricky sequence gains you access into the end crux of captain caveman. Classy movements on holds that are never too poor or spikey. *9/05/17 moved anchors slightly, couldn't remove one of the old anchors as it was stripped, don't use captive ring - will remove.

Really fun punchy little climb. Starts on the left side of the big hanging down boob/udder at the back right side of the cave. Stick clip the first bolt as a tumble down the slope will make the walk out very unpleasant.

Bouldery and varied climbing, has cut looses and feet first moves! Burly roof problem straight into a "harder than it looks" mantel sequence. Perma draws through the roof, stick clip the first bolt and unclip after the first perma draw is clipped - until you are confident on the start.

Quite a Journey! Linkup of Geriatric Acrobatics into GAB. After doing the first two cruxes of Geriatric at the double knees, go left across the face with a bit of power, a few long draws help with drag. Joins into the crux of GAB and then continues to its anchors.

Super steep and super classic climbing up and through the almost improbable (for grade 24) looking line that finishes at the top of the cave chamber. It overhangs a solid 12 meters but the good holds just keep on coming!

Start up Saxicoline then sneak under and around the lip out onto the main face. Traverse out left along seam, then head straight up the right-hand set of bolts through fantastic climbing with some long moves on the head wall. This is a crag classic and must do at the grade.

Tricky move to get established on the shield. After a good shake at the knee bar, get under the blank bombe and punch to the anchor up high. Start from the big belay ledge down hill from Saxicoline. Up for 4 bolts to the shield, hard Boulder problem, then pump your way to the chains.

Ross pulled himself out of a slump and sent this in 26 shots, about 4 every weekend for many weekends! Stick clip first bolt. This beautiful right sweeping, ever hardening line is worth singing and dancing about!